As we enter a new era of politics, we hope to see that Obama has the courage to fight the policies that Progressives hate. Will he have the fortitude to turn the economic future of America to help the working man? Or will he turn out to be just a pawn of big money, as he seems to be right now.

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Hollow Election Held on Bloody Day

An overnight rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad that killedtwo Americans and injured four others set the tone for the election Sunday.

*BAGHDAD, Jan 30 (IPS) - An overnight rocket attack on the U.S. embassyin Baghdad that killed two Americans and injured four others set thetone for the election Sunday.*

By the end of the day at least 29 people had been killed in attacks onpolling stations and voters.

An hour after polling stations opened at 7am, mortar blasts beganechoing across the capital city, at almost an attack a minute at times.

Most Iraqis stayed home after resistance fighters threatened to ”washthe streets with blood.”

A suicide bomber at a security checkpoint in Monsour district of westernBaghdad killed a policeman and wounded two others. A man wearing a beltof explosives detonated himself at a voters queue in Sadr City inBaghdad, killing himself and at least four others.

Many Iraqis who had intended to vote stayed indoors as gunfire echoedaround the downtown area of Baghdad. Mortar attacks on polling stationscontinued through the day.

”Yesterday a bicycle bomb killed someone near my house,” said32-year-old Ahmed Mohammed. ”I never intended to vote in thisillegitimate election anyway, but if I had wanted to I would never goout in these conditions.”

With draconian security measures in place, even some ambulances rushingto victims of bomb attacks were turned back at security checkpoints.

”Baghdad looks like it's having a war, not elections,” said Layla AbdulRahman, a high school English teacher. ”Our streets are filled withtanks and soldiers and our bridges are closed. All we are hearing isbombings all around us, and for the last two nights there have been manyclashes that last a long time. We shouldn't have had elections nowbecause it's just not practical with this horrible security.”

The threats by the resistance fighters followed by a string of attacksacross Baghdad clearly reduced voter turnout.

”How can we call this democracy when I am too afraid to leave my home,”said Baghdad resident Abdulla Hamid. ”Of course there will be lowturnout here with all these bombings.”

A series of bombings have been reported also in Hilla, Mosul, Kirkuk,Basra and Baquba. In Samarra where a roadside bomb struck a U.S. patrol,there was no sign either of voters or of the police on the streets,according to reports from there.

”Nobody will vote in Samarra because of the security situation,” TahaHusain, head of Samarra's local governing council told reporters.

Interim U.S.. appointed prime minister Ayad Allawi announced Saturdaythat martial law will now be extended for another month. The hope ofmany Iraqis that the elections will bring security and stabilitycontinue to fade.

Voter turnout in the Kurdish controlled north of Iraq and the Shiadominated southern region has been heavy, but most polling stations inthe capital city and central Iraq remained relatively empty.

Aside from security reasons, many Iraqis chose not to vote because theyquestion the legitimacy of these elections.

”They are wrong on principle, the High Commission for Elections wasappointed by Bremer (former U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer), so howcan we have a legitimate election under these circumstances,” said SabahRahwani in the Karrada district of Baghdad. ”This election only servesthe interest of the occupier, not Iraqis. This is only propaganda for Bush.”

U.S. President George W. Bush announced in his weekly radio addressSaturday that ”as democracy takes hold in Iraq, America's mission therewill continue.” His administration has also recently announced that U.S.troops will remain in Iraq at least until 2006.

The parliament elected by the Sunday election will draft a newconstitution for the country. A referendum on that is scheduled for Oct.15, followed by another election Dec. 15.

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About Me

I enjoy photography and cats, and the people who enjoy photography and cats. Politics has become a second or third interest now that Tom Delay is going to jail and the GopPigS have lost the Congress. Even with the other big-business party, the Democrats, shape-shifting and pretending to stop the war, politics is a swamp that one should avoid.

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